HMS Daring - Guide 189

The Daring class, destroyers of the Royal Navy, are today's subject.

Read more about the Daring class here:

Next on the list:
-All-big-gun designs
-Daring class
-USS Indianapolis
-Atago/Takao
-HMS Caroline
-Midway class
-Graf Zeppelin
-Bathurst class
-RHS Queen Olga
-HMS Belfast
-Aurora
-Imperator Nikolai I
-USS Helena
-USS Tennesse
-HMNZS New Zealand
-HMS Queen Mary
-USS Marblehead
-New York class
-L-20e
-Abdiel class
-Panserskib (Armoured ship) Rolf Krake
-HMS Victoria
-HMS Charybdis
-Eidsvold class
-IJN “Special” DD's
-SMS Emden
-Ships of Battle of Campeche
-USS England (DE-635)
-Tashkent
-1934A Class
-HMS Plym (K271)
-Siegfried class

[Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

A ship named "Decoy?" That doesn't sound reassuring for the crew

[PatMcDonald]

I served on Diana, one of the AC ships. Brilliant ship

[sniper.c]

The names of the Australian Ships come from the Scrap Iron Flotilla.

My Grandpa served aboard HMAS Voyager so I want to share some insights from him. He served from 1957-1964 as a gunner.

He said that the Torpedoes were almost always useless and a waste of space (not sure how much of this was bias).

He always talks about how he fired the best shot at one of the Singapore Naval excercises, I’m not sure exactly how far he hit but I believe it was in the order of 18000 yards or more.

Another time their anti-aircraft guns were too good in fact and shot down the manned target plane instead of hitting the target it was towing.

Luckily he barely escaped the disaster in which she was sunk. As he had left the ships company a week before she had been rammed by the HMAS Melbourne.

[mathewkelly]

Alright Drac NOW you have to cover the scrap iron flotilla Or us Australians will be very upset 🇦🇺

[derekadams]

I served for a year in Diana as a Midshipman. She was a wonderful ship with a fantastic crew. During a full power trial she managed 32.5 knots off Okinawa. Off Australia during a fleet exercise we were second in the gun line behind the modern Glamorgan. The latter fired a ranging shot which landed far too close to the on shore observer so she was asked to leave. We fired our ranger and were spot on, subsequently all 6 guns fired 16 rounds in a minute! 96 4.5 bricks in the air almost simultaneously. I was on the bridge at the time, it was exhilarating.

[sarjim]

Ironically, it was the two ships sold to Peru that showed how the _Daring_ class could have had much longer and more useful lives in the RN if not for persistent budget problems. Better radar, an improved and enclosed foremast, replacement of the troublesome STAAG mounts with simpler standard 40 mm mounts, and finally, in 1977-1978, with the far more effective two OTO Melara Twin 40 L70 DARDO compact gun mountings, giving the ships some protection against sea skimming missiles. The major addition was eight Exocet missiles during the 1970-1973 refit in Britain before delivery to Peru. Combined with the deletion of the Squid on the stern with a helicopter deck, the two ships really did meet or exceed the reach and firepower of any WWII light cruiser. It's a shame that most RN members of the class had a service life of only about fifteen years.

[lanselithgow]

Lol!... 'the voracious bows of hmas melbourne!'..
During the cold war we sometimes wondered if it wasnt the largest soviet agent!!
Oz ship names were for the ww l vintage v & w destroyers who served gloriosly in wwll, esp in the med with stuart, known as' the scrap iron flotilla!' So impressed was the eastern med fleet that they 'cleared lower decks ' in salute when the flotilla returned to australia for the pacific war.
Mussolinis son Bruno, in a propaganda broadcast called them the scrap iron flotilla in reference to their age. The aussies played on their slang idiom scrap meaning fight/brawl!, along with their perverse sense of opposites, considered it a badge of honour!, ditto rats of tobruk!!

[FlyingNinjaish]

For a second, I read this as HMS Darling. Almost checked my calendar to see if it was April and we finally got a video on the Blackadder-class.

[sealpiercing]

Decoy, Dainty and Desperate are my new favorite destroyer names.

[mcmoose]

I have been aboard the Vampire at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, where she is tied up alongside HMAS Onslow, an Oberon class submarine . Both are open to the public .

[docw]

The HMAS Vendetta was the only Australian non Adams class DDG to serve in the Vietnam conflict.
Our first deployment on the Gun Line we had a call for close support with yanks ashore. After the engagement the yanks came back to us and congratulated the Cruiser on our gunnery.
Great ships and the last gunboats.
Radio Operator 69/70 deployment.

[MoonsOfJupiter]

Thanx for posting this - my Dad served on the HMAS Vendetta in the early-mid 1960's! I went onboard the Vendetta's sister ship, the Vampire, when I visited Sydney about 15 years ago - I phoned my Dad when I was up on the bridge, just to say to him: "You'll never guess where I am Dad!"

[xgford]

At last one I’ve been on HMAS Vampire.... and the names came from the “Scrap Iron Flotilla “

[geoffreymowbray]

I spent some time on board HMAS Duchess (former HMS Duchess) in December 1974 when I was in the RAN Reserve Cadets (equivalent UK Sea Cadet Corps). HMAS Duchess was serving as a officer training ship at the time with a classroom replacing the after 4.5inch gun turret. Her only armament at that date was 4 x 4.5inch guns and 2 single 40mm bofors guns. HMS Duchess was transferred to Royal Australian Navy to replace the HMAS Voyager sunk in collision with light fleet carrier HMAS Melbourne.

[mechsgtpuma]

The crew of the Dainty must of got some stick at some point. You can imagine all the Dainty comments and references 🤣 😂

[ussdesmoines]

I know where the RAN ships got their name, the “Scrap Iron Flotilla” during WW2. A nickname since the destroyers from that flotilla have been in service since WW1ish

[DRNewcomb]

HMS Dainty, only the RN would name a warship that.

[jamesw]

"the voracious bows of HMAS Melbourne" 🤣🤣 savage

[petechapman]

I served ion both Vendetta and Vampire, in the RAN. Best class of destroyer ever built.

[badcarbon]

Handsome little ship.
You'd never get me in one. ( claustrophobic), but since you told me the sad fate of the Melbourne, of which I was not aware, and I only build models of ships that were sunk
She's now on my list of to do, after I finish my. 1/350 Linberg Hood.
I know, I know Linberg, but I'm using the trumpeter upscale parts and as I'm creating the initial explosion to spend 130 or so dollars for a lot of detail that will be covered in illuminated fire and smoke I felt it wasn't worth it.
My place burnt down two months ago while I was not home.
The fire Department suspects it was a fault in the old aluminum wires.
I lost every thing, so I'm starting from scratch.
I only mention this because I want to honour nipper my companion of 14 years who I lost in the fire.
He's the dog in my pic.
I miss him dearly and take some comfort in preserving his memory, even if its just In an obscure post on my favorite place on the entire net.